Saturday snippets

Sunny, 18°, light SSE.

3 Swift and several Swallow and House Martin over Church Road.

Several Swift have been seen over Cholsey Meadows since 23rd. Per James Beaumont.

Blackcap and Chiffchaff singing near garden.

"I am pretty sure I have seen a White-tailed Eagle over Cholsey Oxon today and yesterday 25th and 26th April 2026. Not far from shops in village centre." Per Jack Badstock via Birdguides.

Home & Away

Cloudy with a thunder storm mid-morning, 21°, light ESE.

Our final day at the Obs for this autumn and left around midday. A sea-watch early morning and then packing up to come home with a bit of birding in between.

2 Arctic Skua, a Red-throated Diver, c30 Balearic Shearwater, 2 Manx Shearwater, 3 Common Scoter, 2 Oystercatcher and c15 “Commic” Tern.

VizMig: c50 Yellow Wagtail, 5 Grey Wagtail, 10+ Swallow, 6 Sand Martin, 4 House Martin, a Swift, 4 Meadow Pipit, a Tree Pipit, plus 2 Sparrowhawk, a Chiffchaff, 4 Willow Warbler, 2 Wheatear and a Blackcap.

Dragonflies: Common Darter.

Butterflies: Red Admiral and Wall Brown.

Moths: Striped Hawkmoth, Convolvulus Hawkmoth, Hummingbird Hawkmoth, a Scar Bank Gem and a Latticed Heath.

A catchup from Tony Williams whilst I’ve been away.

Lollingdon Hill: 250+ Swallow and House Martin over.

Bunk area: Spotted Flycatcher, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, several Blackcap, and 4+ Chiffchaff.

5 House Martin, 3 Swift and a skein of c50 Canada Geese over Church Road this evening.

Sunrise

Convolvulus Hawkmoth

Latticed Heath courtesy John Lucas

Scar Bank Gem courtesy John Lucas

Tonight's partial Lunar Eclipse 

Ibis

Sunny, 20°, moderate SE.

Well, the calm didn’t last long with the wind backing from WSW to SE, gaining strength to force 5-6 and putting a bit of a damper on the day’s birding.

A patchy sea-watch to begin with and then hanging around the Obs area.

2 Arctic Skua, c20 Balearic Shearwater, 2 Manx Shearwater, 5 “Commic” Tern, 1 Arctic Tern, 3 Sandwich Tern, 20+ Kittiwake, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 2 Fulmar, 1 Oystercatcher the usual Gannet and 3 Auk sp.

Just 5 of us sea-watching, when one called Glossy Ibis. A flock of at least 14 was very close in and we could just see them above the parapet for around 20 seconds. Martin managed a quick photo before they disappeared from sight and subsequently not seen again.

The land was poor with only a single Willow Warbler noted.

VizMig: c20 Yellow Wagtail, 3 Grey Wagtail, c30 Swallow and 10 Sand Martin.

At around 18:30, Loren spotted a couple of Swift over the Obs. They spent approx. 10 minutes overhead and seemed reluctant to leave but eventually disappeared out over the sea.

Dragonflies: Southern Hawker and Common Darter.

Butterflies: Small White, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Speckled Wood and Wall Brown.

Moths: Hummingbird Hawkmoth.

Glossy Ibis pics courtesy of Martin Cade.

The winds of Change

Mainly sunny, 20°, light WSW.

Finally, the wind and rain abated and produced a pleasant day for birding.

A morning’s sea-watch: 5 Arctic Skua, 50+ Kittiwake, a Yellow-legged Gull, 60+ Manx Shearwater, 100+ Balearic Shearwater, 60+ “Commic” Tern, 4 Arctic Tern, 2 Common Scoter, a Ringed Plover, a Curlew, a Whimbrel, numerous Gannet and several Oystercatcher.

VizMig and an afternoons walk: Barn Owl, Little Owl, 20+ Grey Wagtail, 30+ Yellow Wagtail, 3 Tree Pipit, 3 Meadow Pipit, a Pied Flycatcher, 4 Willow Warbler, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap, a Common Whitethroat, a Sedge Warbler, 2 Whinchat, 3 Stonechat, 31 Wheatear, 4 Raven, a Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, a Common Snipe, 110+ Swallow, 30+ Sand Martin, 12 House Martin and 2 Swift.

Dragonflies: Migrant Hawker, Brown Hawker, Southern Hawker and Common Darter.

Butterflies: Clouded Yellow, Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Wall Brown, Speckled Wood and Small Heath.

Moths: Convolvulus Hawkmoth and Hummingbird Hawkmoth.

Sun rise at the Obs

"Greenland" Wheatear courtesy Mark Cutts

 

Cholsey

Overcast, 22°, light E.

Hobby, 4 Swift and 5 House Martin over garden and a Chiffchaff in garden. Lots of Swallow (50+) at the bottom end of Cholsey Hill.

Greenshank calling and seen flying south over Panters Road. Per MP.

Library pics

Cooler

Overcast, 19°, breezy NNE.

2 Common Redstart still out at Lollingdon, a Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Common Whitethroat, 3 Blackcap and an unexpected fly-by of a Greenshank and c60 Swallow over.

Nearby a couple of Yellowhammer, c100 Linnet and good numbers of Chiffchaff.

A handful of House Martin still present in the Church Road area and appear to be feeding young still and 2 Swift over.

A Peregrine seen from the garden yesterday and several Swift passing over in the last few days.

Mammals: Hedgehog, Muntjac and Common Pipistrelle regular in garden.

Dragonflies: A Southern Hawker on the allotment yesterday.

Butterflies: very few, Small White, Speckled Wood, a Gatekeeper and a few Meadow Brown.

Moths: Hummingbird Hawk in garden.

Quiet!

Cloudy, 20°, breezy ENE.

Another quiet one along the Bunk as the weather cools: 60+ Swallow, a handful of House Martin and 3 Swift. 5 Common Whitethroat, 4 Blackcap, 10+ Chiffchaff, 3 Yellowhammer, a Sparrowhawk, Grey Heron and 2 Herring Gull.

Dragonflies: Common Blue Damsel.

Butterflies: several Whites, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown.

Bunk & Lollingdon

Sunny spells, 27°, Light WSW.

2 Common Redstart, Lollingdon. Per RW.

Tree Pipit, Bunk area. Per RB.

Bunk: a Stonechat, a Willow Warbler, 9 Chiffchaff, 3 Common Whitethroat, 5 Blackcap, 12 Swallow, 4 House Martin, 7 Swift, 5 Yellowhammer, 30+ Linnet, 2 Sparrowhawk, a Hobby, 2 Grey Heron, 2 Herring Gull, etc.

8 Swift over garden at 20:10 last evening.

Mammals: Short-tailed Vole. Common Pipistrelle hunting around garden frequently in last few weeks.

Dragonflies: Southern Hawker and Migrant Hawker.

Butterflies: Small White, Common Blue, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown.

Redstart courtesy Roger Wyatt

Stonechat

Lancaster Bomber with a Swallow above but a lot closer

Swifts

Overcast, 21°, breezy NNE.

The Lees:

A large flock of Swift feeding in an area between the Lees, Lollingdon and the Astons, estimate around 200 birds, plus c80 House Martin and up to 50 Swallow in the same area.

5 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap, 1-2 Sedge Warbler, 2 Reed Bunting, 2 Yellowhammer, 2+ Jay, a Mistle Thrush and 6 Skylark.

2 Grey Wagtail on Cholsey Brook and Sparrowhawk nearby.

Dragonflies: Banded Demoiselle and Emperor.

Butterflies: Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Peacock, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown.

Out & About

Cloudy with a few light showers, 21°, light S.

Little to speak of out at Lollingdon today other than a Kingfisher and both Swallow and House Martin moving through.

Bunk area: Peregrine, Sparrowhawk, Willow Warbler, several Chiffchaff, a Common Whitethroat, 2 Blackcap, 2 Yellow Wagtail and approx. 200 Gulls along with many Corvids and 14 Red Kite following a plough and up to 80 Swallow moving through.

Silly Bridge area: Yellow Wagtail, c60 Swallow, a Swift and 2 Raven overhead.

Butterflies: numbers of Small White, the occasional Large White,2 Red Admiral and singles of Peacock, Comma and Small Heath.

AD & PC.

Wren

Common Buzzard

A couple of Redstart

Overcast, 20°, breezy SW.

Lollingdon & Bunk: A female type Common Redstart on the hill this morning and Alan found a male on there this afternoon.

A good numbers of Swallow moving through with 50+ in one flock and several more in smaller groups.

Richard Broughton had 3 Spotted Flycatcher out at Lollingdon earlier but not relocated later plus 5 Swift over the Lees early evening..

Elsewhere, 30+ Swallow, a few House Martin, 3 Blackcap, 2 Common Whitethroat, several Chiffchaff, a single Yellow Wagtail and a Little Owl.

Dragonflies: a single Common Darter and Banded Demoiselle.

Butterflies: several Large and Small White, a Red Admiral, several Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper.

Redstart ↕. female type above and male below. Male courtesy Alan

Swallow ↕

Red Admiral

The Hill

Cloudy with rain showers, 21°, light NNE.

A visit to Lollingdon today: 1 Common Redstart, 1 Willow Warbler, 5-6 Common Whitethroat, 3 Blackcap, c10 Chiffchaff, 2 Reed Bunting, 3 Yellowhammer, 3 Raven over and a few small flocks of Swallow and House Martin and 2 Swift.

Mammal: Roe Deer.

Dragonflies: singles of Southern Hawker, Migrant Hawker and Common Darter.

Butterflies: very few, Small White, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper.

Raven ↕

Bunk

Overcast, 17°, breezy SW.

Pretty quiet along the Bunk this afternoon. A few Common Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Yellowhammer still in song but little else.

Overhead, c60 Swift, 40+ Swallow, 20+ House Martin and 6 Sand Martin with most moving south.

Alan reported a similar movement of Hirundines and Swift out towards Lollingdon.

A Little Ringed Plover heard calling and a Kingfisher and 2 Jay seen plus the 2 regular Herring Gull.

Dragonflies: a Few Common Blue and Azure Damselfly on the wing in sheltered spots.

Butterflies: Large Skipper, Large White, Small White, Red Admiral, Marbled White, Ringlet and Meadow Brown.

Swift

Large Skipper

What's that coming over the Hill

A cloudy day, 18°, light WSW.

Arrived on Lollingdon hill around 11:30 and started to scan around. Looked pretty quiet apart from a couple of Corn Bunting in song, plus a Common Whitethroat and a couple of Yellowhammer and Chiffchaff calling.

Just before midday I noted several Swift passing over and drifting south west, shortly followed by another 50.

Over the next hour I counted just over 400 Swift over the hill area and they were still passing over when I left.

When I got off the hill I looked back and Swift were still passing through. I estimate in the region of 450-500 Swift passed in that hour and 30 minutes.

Other species noted: Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, Yellow Wagtail, Swallow, House Martin etc.

Mammals: Brown Hare.

Dragonflies: Banded and Beautiful Demoiselle and an unidentified Hawker.

Butterflies: Large White, Small White, Marbled White, Speckled Wood, Ringlet and Meadow Brown.

Wren's Nest courtesy Bill Nicholls

Speckled Wood

Bunk

Mainly cloudy, 19°, breezy SW.

Pretty quiet along Bunk line today apart from a period mid-afternoon when Hirundines started passing through.

Over a period of just over an hour I counted 70+ Swallow (incl young birds), 20+ House Martin and 6 Sand Martin all moving purposefully in a southerly direction. This also included approx. 40 Swift.

Other than that it was somewhat quiet with bird song greatly diminished although usual regulars still visibly evident.

Dragonflies: Banded Demoiselle, Beautiful Demoiselle, Azure Damselfly and Common Blue Damselfly.

Butterflies: Large Skipper, Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Red Admiral, Comma, Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Ringlet and Small Heath.

Green-veined White

Swollen-thighed Beetle

Fox & Hare

Sunny, 19°, light SSE.

A good day for  a stroll, most of our summer visitors are in now but still missing a few. 

Lollingdon and Bunk areas: 3 Lesser Whitethroat, 8 Common Whitethroat, 9 Chiffchaff, 5 Blackcap, a Sedge Warbler, 2 Corn Bunting, 1 Reed Bunting, 3 Yellowhammer, a Grey Heron, a Raven, 4 Black-headed Gull, 15 Swallow, 11 Swift, 2 House Martin and a Yellow Wagtail, etc.

River: Swallow, Swift, Sparrowhawk, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Reed Bunting, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Chiffchaff and Cetti’s Warbler.

Mammals: Red Fox and Brown Hare.

Reptiles: Grass Snake.  

Dragonflies: Beautiful Demoiselle, Banded Demoiselle, Azure Damselfly, Large Red Damselfly and Four-spotted Chaser.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Orange Tip, Green Hairstreak, Holly Blue, Common Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Speckled Wood and Small Heath.

AD & PC.

Red Fox

A down of Hares

A wet one

Rain until 14:00, then just cloudy, 10°, breezy S.

Bunk area: a reasonable passage of Hirundines this afternoon. With c80 House Martin, 40+ Swallow, a handful of Sand Martin plus c20 Swift.

5 Chiffchaff, 4 Blackcap, 4 Common Whitethroat, 5 Yellowhammer, 2 Reed Bunting, a Yellow Wagtail, a Gadwall and 7 Lesser Blackback Gull, etc.

AD & PC.

Common Whitethroat

Blackcap courtesy Alan

Reed Bunting